Singer Judy Wexler Brings Eclectic Material To WEDNESDAY JAZZ NITES At Pangea

So many songs, so many styles, so many possibilities, so little time.  How does a singer with a fair-sized repertoire narrow down the list to put together a satisfying sampler for audiences?  Sometimes it’s a case where “the possibilities are more than I can possibly enumerate,” to quote a song from 1958 that Judy Wexler picked for her September 13th night at Pangea,  “You Fascinate Me So,” by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields.  Sooner or later, it might feel almost like the hypothetical dilemma in another lyric she sweetly sang that evening, the one that begins, “If I had to choose just one day to live my whole life through/ It would surely be that Sunday/ The day that I met you.” This one was a Nat King Cole record that hit the charts 60 years ago this month.  Also woven into the program was “Weaver of Dreams,” an elegant ballad that Cole was first to record in 1951 (although Bing Crosby’s version came to the market first).  

An audience made up of more than longtime followers might not quite know what to expect if it’s not an advertised event with a title indicating a theme, a collection of self-penned work, or a tribute to a certain songwriter or iconic performer.  Will it be mostly Great American Songbook standards from the mid-20th century?  Pop? Tunes native to jazz that haven’t crossed over to a wider audience?  Musical theatre pieces performed in context as characters? 

Is it a SHOW?  Or is it a SET?  The venue can be more than a clue. Pangea is an attractive Greenwich Village restaurant/bar known for jazz (as well as what its website calls “alternative voices”). It’s not a concert hall.  This was a relaxed JAZZ SET, informal and unfussy, low-key, like the California-based singer herself.  She counted off the songs for tempo and the musical spotlight was shared with competence and class by three musicians, with lengthy and engaging instrumental breaks: Jim Ridl (piano); Essiet Essiet (bass); Sylvia Cuenca (drums). Her spoken comments didn’t seem written or anything to be writing home about.  I suppose that can be better than the other extreme — the M.O. of some self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing cabaret artistes who present scripted patter “sharing” their life and love “journeys” or hair-raising experiences and seem burdened by personal psychological baggage.  Here, it was actual luggage – lost by the airline – and getting her actual hair curled unsatisfactorily at a salon that were stressful topics stressed and addressed - not exactly enlightening unless your idea of enlightenment is following someone on Twitter. (Sorry–on “X”). Reaching back to the tale of how she met the man at ringside who gave her a wedding ring and has been by her side for many years was of more interest and led nicely into a song.  

The California-based vocalist, who has been performing for years and has six CDs to her credit, offered an eclectic mix. She’s not excessively showy (it’s not a show, it’s a set), but can effectively embellish a melody line and extend an ending by repeating the crucial words for stronger impact. She did some scat-singing on the breezy “Laughing at Life”  — and her own unrestrained, loud laugh that burst forward numerous times earlier indicated that she was having fun and not taking herself too seriously.  But she takes the MUSIC seriously, enveloping herself in it, showing vocal control, a clean line with an appealing timbre, eschewing vibrato or tricks, giving due attention to the words while adventurously taking some liberties with notes.     

Her opener was a number titled “Too Much in Love to Care.”  No, not the one from the score of Sunset Boulevard. This one was written decades earlier by Carroll Coates and James J. Kreigsmann and recorded by the jazz singer Carmen McRae very early in her career. That’s how I know it and I would guess that’s how the jazz singer knows it, too, since it has hardly been recorded or performed voluminously.  Miss W. states that “those of you know me” are aware that she’s not known for focusing on famous old standard songs, although she has certainly recorded titles you’d recognize from both the classic American Songbook classics and pop. Her Crowded Heart CD was crowded with latter-day things she thinks could be standard-worthy.  (She presented “Parisian Heartbreak” to us as a candidate.) Her most recent CD/digital release, the impressive Back to the Garden, revisited more familiar pop from the 1960s and ‘70s (including two items featured in this show, “Up on the Roof” and “Everybody’s Talkin’” – with their adventurous arrangements, highlights of the night for me).

Waiting for a show tune?  “Make Someone Happy” by Jule Styne, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green was the evergreen that was the one thing from a Broadway score (Do Re Mi) -- a simple message about priorities.  If something off the beaten path is what you’re waiting for, “Waiting for the Dawn” might brighten your day. Tasteful songstress Judy Wexler’s musical menu has something for various tastes.  

See Pangea’s schedule here: http://www.pangeanyc.com/music/

See more about Judy Wexler here: www.judywexler.com

Photo of Judy at Pangea by Craig Cochrane